Cyber is Likely Winner of 2015 Budget

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is scheduled Monday to unveil highlights to the Pentagon's 2015 proposed budget, but cyber is the expected winner as many parts of the military coffers will shrink.

Pentagon leaders have signaled in the lead up to Monday's announcement that the Defense Department has to increase spending on cyber security as the military brass continues to highlight it as a leading threat to U.S. national security. Meanwhile, the military will likely face further cuts to offset the $56 billion increase in domestic spending President Obama is expected to request for 2015.

Richard Sisk posted a more in-depth analysis of what officials in D.C. are expecting for the military here. But the resounding winner continues to be cyber. Even last week Hagel signaled in a speech the need to bump up cyber investments.

"We are adjusting our asset base and our new technology," Hagel said. "Of course, it's going to shift the proprieties and the balance of forces, and where you invest your money to be able to ensure readiness for your forces, capability and capacity," Hagel said of the budget proposals.

This year's budget isn't an outlier. Cybersecurity is one of the few areas where the U.S. military will spend more this year as their overall budget is cut. The Defense Department will spend $4.7 billion on cyber operations this year – a 21 percent increase over 2013.

The Pentagon is only one of many government agencies to see their tech budgeting drastically increase. The intelligence and cyber security budgets for the CIA and NSA have also seen significant growth.